Closure apparatus



Filed Dec. 14, 1966 INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,415,403 CLOSURE APPARATUS Ralph V. Bordell,Homewood, Ill., assignor to Bennett Industries, Inc., Peotone, Ill., acorporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 601,794 6 Claims.(Cl. 21S-42) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE An improved container has athreaded annular projecting neck with at least one resilient llug memberbeing pro'- vided thereon. A closure, adapted for closure over the neck,includes thread means designed to engage thread means on the neck andfurther includes a separably attached annular collar having at least onelug engaging ratchet tooth member, which member is adapted to interlockwith the lug means on the container neck in order to lockingly hold theclosure onto the container neck. The lug means on the container neck arechamfered and preferably are tapered from top to bottom in order thatsuch lug means becomes more resistant to exing as the closure isthreaded onto the container neck.

This invention generally relates to containers and more particularly toa container closure taking the form of a positively locking threadableplastic cap.

The advantages of furnishing containers with closures fabricated ofplastic are well known. For example, plastic closures are cheaper andeasier to manufacture than vclosures made from other substances (eg,metals). Moreover, plastic closures are more durable and create less-contamination of the container contents than closures made from othermaterials since plastics are generally resistant to most forms ofcorrosive attack.

In spite of wide acceptance and usage, plastic closures still presentproblems which, in some application, limit their usefulness. Forexample, the design of a closure device with a plastic cap which is bothconvenient to use and tamper proof has proven to be diiicult. In orderto successfully market goods such as foods, medicines, chemicals, andother products requiring a Ihigh degree of purity, means must beprovided to insure that the container has not been opened or tamperedwith. Many forms of seals have been devised to join a cap with acontainer body in such a way that tampering with the closure apparatuswill be easily detected. One common form of seal is a piece of plastictape or paper which ovenlaps the cap and container body in a mannerrequiring mutilation before the cap can be removed. While such a seal istamper proof, it is unsightly since the ragged edges thereof commonlyremain attached to the cap and container body after opening. Moreover,such seals are relatively expensive since they must be separatelyapplied to the container and closure.

Moreover, diiiiculties have been encountered in designing a threadedplastic closure which will not loosen during shipment or handling andw-hich provides a convenient, removable seal. It is well known that anynonlocking plastic cap threaded onto a non-plastic container neck, eventhough mechanically tightened, will normally loosen due to differentialexpansion and contraction of the cap and neck. Even if both the cap andneck are formed of plastic, loosening can also result from flexingaction therebetween as the container is jarred during shipment.Moreover, the use of seals with threaded closure devices has proven tobe expensive because assembly normally .requi'res a two-step operationconsisting of threading the cap and affixing the seal. v

From the above discussion it is obvious that the container arts would beadvanced by the development of a ICC threadable plastic closure devicewhich could' be positively applied to the container body to provide asealed, tamper proof container combination, yet which is readilyremovable and reclosable to facilitate discharge of the containercontents.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide animproved threadable plastic closure which can be locked to preventloosening of the cap and. tampering with the contents of a containerwithout detection thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a closure devicewhich can be applied to a container in a single step in order to achievea locked, tamper proof container combination.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a closure devicewhich can be locked in place by hand tightening without using specialtools and which can be `easily removed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a locking closuredevice which can be used to effectively reseal the container after thelocking device has been reumoved.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a threaidable plasticclosure including interlocking means which are urged into lockingengagement with mating interlocking means located on a container neck asthe closure is threaded onto the neck.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages, and features of the presentinvention will hereinafter appear, and, for purposes of illustration,but not of limitation, exemplary embodiments of the present inventionare shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention asused in connection with an exemplary container body s-hown therein;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view, partially in section, of thecontainer closure;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the neck portion of thecontainer body;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the container closure illustrating theratchet teeth provided thereon;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view lof a modified closure in accordance withthe present invention.

Brieily described, the present invention takes the form of a closurearrangement for a container comprising: a container body having anopening formed therein, an annular projecting neck being integrallyformed around the opening in the container body, with thread means beingprovided on the neck. At least one resilient lug member is provided onthe neck, and a closure is adapted for placement over the neck andincludes a top wall structure and a cylindrical depending side wallstructure, with thread means being provided on the closure side wallstructure, the thread means being adapted to threadably engage thethread means on the neck, whereby relative rotational motion between theclosure and the container body in a first direction causes the closureto be drawn downwardly over the neck. An annular collar is separablyattached to the closure side wall structure, and at `least one lugengaging ratchet tooth member is provided on the collar, the said toothmember being adapted to interlock with the lug means on the containerneck when the closure has been threaded onto the container neck therebyto preclude relative rotational motion between the closure and theconvtainer body in a direction opposite to the said rst direc- '.tion,whereby the closure is maintained in locked, sealed tight engagementwith the container body and whereby when the collar is separated fromthe side wall structure of the closure, the closure may be rotated insaid opposite direction in order to threadably remove the closure fromthe neck.

With reference to the drawings, FIGURE 1 illustrates the preferredembodiment of the present invention in the form of a closure 8associated with a container body 9. Obviously, closure device 8 may beused with many forms of container bodies and is not limited in itsapplications to a container body of the precise design illustrated inFIG- URE 1. The closure 8 and container body 9 are preferably molded ofsuitable plastics (e.g., polyethylene and the like) and may befabricated by conventional molding techniques Well known to the art(e.g., blow-molding and injection molding).

As best shown in FIGURE 2, closure 8 comprises a cap portion 10 and acollar portion 12. More specifically, cap 10 comprises a top wallstructure 13, a cylindrical depending side wall structure 15, a series fthreads 16 being provided on the inner surface of side wall structure15.

While the top wall structure 13 of cap 10 is shown to be generally flatin the drawings, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the capcould be modified to accommodate a push-pull type flex spout of the typedisclosed in Smith U.S. Patent No. 3,040,938, and, of course, other wellknown modifications could be made in the over-all cap structure withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present invention.

As seen in FIGURES 2 and 5, collar 12 comprises a cylindrical wallstructure 31 having a plurality of ratchet teeth 32 formed on the innersurface thereof. Teeth 32 have faces 34 for a purpose that willhereinafter be described. Although sixteen teeth are included in thepreferred embodiment herein, the advantages of the present invention maybe achieved with substantially any number thereof.

Collar 12 is preferably integrally molded with depending wall structure15 of cap 10. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, collar 12 is separatedtherefrom by a horizontal groove 22, which permits collar 12 to besevered from cap by cutting with a knife along groove 22. Alternatively,as shown in FIGURE 7, collar 12 may be jointed to wall structure byperforations 22' or other means for facilitating separation thereof aswill be hereinafter described in detail. Groove 22 may also be moldedmore ,deeply than shown in FIGURE 2 in order to allow separation of cap10 and collar 12 without use of a knife. If groove 22 is moldedsutliciently deep, the relatively thin layer of plastic between cap 10and collar 12 will crack if sufficient torque is appied to cap 10 in acounterclockwise direction. Also, a pull tab could be mounted on collar12 to facilitate separation of the collar and capside wall structurecollar 12.

As can best be seen in FIGURE 3, a anged neck is integrally attached atits lower end to a top wall structure 18 of container body 9. While topWall structure 18 is downwardly tapered, as will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art, the top wall structure may also be flat. Thus, theflanged neck may be provided on substantially any top Wall structure.

Neck 20 has molded thereon a series of exterior threads 14 which aredesigned to matingly engage threads 16 of cap portion 10. As shown inFIGURES 3 and 5, neck 20 has molded thereon a plurality of lugs 24. Eachlug 24 has a tooth engaging face 29 adapted to matingly engage thecorresponding face 34 of a ratchet tooth 32 (see FIGURE 6) to preventmovement of the collar 12 in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed inFIGURE 6). Each lug is chamfered at 30, chamber 30 being wider at thetop than at the bottom. The difference in width of chamfer 30 provides adiminishing flexing action of the lug 24 as the closure 8 is threadedonto neck 20. While chamfer 30 is preferably tapered, chamfers ofuniform cross-section are nonetheless encompassed by the concepts of thepresent invention. It should be understood that, although four lugs 24are disclosed in the preferred embodiment herein,

the results of the present invention may be achieved with any number oflugs.

In operation, cap 10 and collar 12 may be easily locked in position onneck 20 by threading cap threads 16 onto neck threads 14. As cap 10 isprogressively drawn downwardly onto neck 20 by the threading operation,ratchet teeth 32 of collar 12 are gradually revolved down and aroundlugs 24. As the teeth contact the lugs, the lugs flex inwardly, and, dueto their inheret resiliency, snap back outwardly. As the teeth 32approach the thicker portion of each lug 24 (i.e., the portion wherechamfer 30 is smallest), lugs 24 become more resistant to fiexing.Eventually, a point is reached in which lugs 24 resist further flexingand the collar 12 is at this point locked in position, since theengagement of corresponding faces 29, 34 precludes counterrotation ofclosure 8 with respect to the container body 9. At this point top wa'llstructure 13 preferably engages the upper surface of neck 20 therebyeffectively sealing the container. Of course, a conventional sealinggasket (not shown) could be interposed between neck 20 and top wallstructure 13. Even if chamfer 30 is not tapered, the closure will belocked in sealed tight condition when this point is reached.

The entire closing and locking operaton can be accomplished Without theuse of special tools. In fact, closure 8 can be tightened and locked onneck 20 by merely rotating closure 8 with the hand. Moreover, once theclosure S is in its locked position, the contents of container 9 aresealed within the container, since tamper proof closure 8 cannot beremoved from neck 20 without separating collar 12 from cap 10.

When removal of closure 8 is desired, collar 12 is severed from cap 10by drawing a knife around the circumference of groove 22, or,alternatively, if groove 22 is sufiiciently deep, separation may beeected by twisting cap 10 sharply in a counterclockwise direction tocrack the plastic in groove 22. After separation is completed, cap 10may be easily removed from neck 20 by merely unscrewing the former fromthe latter. After removal, cap 10 operates as a conventional threadedclosure and may `be easily screwed onto neck assembly 11 to achieve asealed reclosure thereof. Consequently, while the present closureapparatus is effective to lock closure 8 on neck 20 to prevent looseningthereof and tampering therewith prior to the initial opening (i.e.,during shipment and storage), it is also effective to provide a means oftightly reclosing the container body to preserve the contents thereofafter the initial opening.

Furthermore, the previously described initial sealing and locking ofclosure 8 on container body 9 is achieved with a minimum effort sincethe mechanical advantage supplied by the threading operation of cap 10on neck 20 is utilized to urge ratchet teeth 32 into locking and sealingengagement with lugs 24.

While the particular arrangement shown in the drawings (i.e., lugsprovided on the container neck and ratchet teeth provided in associationwith the closure) form Athe preferred structure for the subjectinvention, the reverse arrangement may also be satisfactorily employed(that is, a plurality of ratchet teeth may be provided on the containerneck, with flexible lugs being provided on the inner surface of thecollar portion of the cap). Of course, if such `a reversal of elementsis employed, the lower portion of the lugs should be more flexible andthe upper portion less flexible. SuchV an arrangement may be readilyachieved by providing a chamfer that is the reverse of that illustratedin FIGURE 3 (i.e., wider at the bottom than at the top). Likewise, thearrangement shown in the drawing could be modified by chamfering theratchet teeth in order to make them flexible and by making the lugssolid and relatively inflexible.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel, useful containerclosure arrangement is provided, one which is inexpensive to manufactureand simple to use, yet which is effective to provide a locked, uid-tightseal prior to the initial opening and to provide for satisfactoryclosing and reopening `after the initial opening of the container.

What is claimed is:

1. A closure arrangement for a `container comprising:

a container body having an opening formed therein;

an integrally formed annular projecting neck `around the opening in thecontainer body;

thread means on the neck;

at least one resilient lug member on the neck;

a closure adapted for placement over the neck and including a top wallstructure and a cylindrical de pending side wall structure;

thread means on the closure side wall structure and adapted tothreadably engage the thread means on the neck whereby relativerotational motion between the closure and the container body in a rstdirection causes the closure to be drawn downwardly over the neck;

an annular collar separably attached to the closure side wall structure;and

at least one lug engaging ratchet tooth member on the collar adapted tointerlock with the lug member on the container neck when the closure hasbeen threaded onto the container neck thereby to preclude relativerotational motion between the closure and the container body in adirection opposite to the said rst direction,

the face of the lug member that is adapted to interlock with acorresponding lug engaging ratchet tooth being chamfered whereby the lugmember eXes inwardly out of the path of `the ratchet tooth duringrelative rotational motion between the closure and container body insaid first direction, the said lug member being adapted to flexoutwardly thereafter to its Irespective normal position as the ratchettooth Inoves therepast so as to restore the lug member into suchposition as to cooperate with the ratchet tooth to preclude relativerotational motion between the closure and the container body in saidopposite direction,

whereby the closure is maintained in locked, sealed tight engagementwith the container body and whereby when the collar is separated fromthe side wall structure of the closure, the closure may be rotated insaid opposite direction in order to threadably remove the closure fromthe neck.

2. An arrangement, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lug member iswider circumferentially at its bottom than at its top.

3. An arrangement, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the container body,closure, and annular collar are all molded from polyethylene plastic.

4. Anarrangement, as -claimed in claim 3, wherein a plurality of lugmembers are provided on the container neck at equally spaced intervalsand below the thread means thereon and wherein a plurality of lugengaging ratchet teeth are provided on the collar at equally spacedintervals, at least as many teeth being provided on the collar as lugmembers are provided on the container neck, whereby when the closure isin locked, sealed tight engagement with the container body, each of thelug members interlocks with a corresponding lug engaging tooth on thecollar.

5. An arrangement, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the annular collar isseparably attached to the closure side wall structure by means of asegment of plastic having a thickness relatively thinner than theclosure side wall structure and collar.

6. An arrangement, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the annular collar isseparably attached to the closure side wall structure by means of asegment of plastic having a plurality of `perforations formed thereinthereby to form a severance line.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,124,874 7/1938 Conner et al.215-42 3,310,191 3/1967 Kern et al 21S-42 3,314,564 4/1967 Anderson etal. 215-42 X FOREIGN PATENTS 847,332 9/ 1960 Great Britain.

DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner.

